I've tried for ages to get a decent, robust, after-market crotch strap for my life jackets. The only ones I have seen, and the ones on my life jackets have a thin webbing strap, maybe 20mm, and snap buckles that are correspondingly small. If I was to be rescued, and the rescuer grabbed hold of my lifejacket, I am sure it would not take much heaving for the crotch strap to fail (either that or do serious damage to certain parts of my anatomy )
Are there any with decent width straps out there

I am sure it would not take much heaving for the crotch strap to fail (either that or do serious damage to certain parts of my anatomy

While there is always the possibility that a rescuer will grab your lifejacket if things get desperate, your removal from the water should be more managed than that for a number of reasons.

The strap is there mainly to stop an inflated lj from riding up over your head and you ending up clinging to it rather than wearing it.

That said most manufacturers offer a combined harness/lifejacket and these do tend to have more robust straps all round, as well as the handy securing point on the front. One of these might suit you better.

The only ones I have seen, and the ones on my life jackets have a thin webbing strap, maybe 20mm, and snap buckles that are correspondingly small. If I was to be rescued, and the rescuer grabbed hold of my lifejacket, I am sure it would not take much heaving for the crotch strap to fail

Exactly this happened on the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race - a crewman went overboard, and as they were hauling him up, his crotch strap buckle parted, and he ended up in the water with no Lifejacket. The skill of te skipper and crew of Glasgow Clipper, not to mention a massive amount of good luck, got him back on board.

Clipper changed their lifejackets this year, and now have the Baltic ultimate - the manufacturers quote a "wider more comfortable crutch strap" and I'm not sure if this is the same one Clipper are using - I know that the race director was insistent (for obvious reasons) that it was substantially tougher than on previous models! May be worth checking out the ultimate.

Exactly this happened on the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race - a crewman went overboard, and as they were hauling him up, his crotch strap buckle parted, and he ended up in the water with no Lifejacket. The skill of te skipper and crew of Glasgow Clipper, not to mention a massive amount of good luck, got him back on board.

Clipper changed their lifejackets this year, and now have the Baltic ultimate - the manufacturers quote a "wider more comfortable crutch strap" and I'm not sure if this is the same one Clipper are using - I know that the race director was insistent (for obvious reasons) that it was substantially tougher than on previous models! May be worth checking out the ultimate.

Jimbo - my understanding was that this shouldn't be able to happen with a correctly fitted lifejacket even with no crutch straps so the wearer may not have correctly fitted it. My understanding was that crutch straps were designed to make your position within the jacket more comfortable and ensure that you sat 'higher' in the water so your face was less likely to be submerged by waves etc - but that the normal straps were designed to take the "load" during recovery etc. Perhaps if you are more 'rotund' then your waste is larger than your shoulders though? Hey, RougeWave can you get your lifejacket off over your head without undoing it?